It is generally desirable to conserve power in any kind of device. However, it is particularly desirable to do so in battery-powered devices that use wireless communication to execute various types of functions. For example, certain battery-powered devices derive positioning information via wireless signals received from a set of geosynchronous satellites that use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. A few examples of GPS-enabled devices include smartphones and locator tags. A locator tag, which is typically attached to an object such as an automobile or a movable asset, can use GPS satellite communications to provide location information of the object to which the tag is attached. The locator tag is typically powered by one or more batteries and it is desirable that the batteries be optimized in terms of various parameters such as size, capacity, and cost. Some of these parameters can be optimized by using various techniques to place a battery-charged device in a power down mode, for example by detecting an idle state during which battery power is being consumed unnecessarily. However, an idle state is not the only state during which battery power may be consumed unnecessarily. Another state where battery power may be consumed unnecessarily is a state during which a battery-charged device is engaged in unnecessary activity. For example, a locator tag may be repeatedly trying to communicate with a satellite even though no satellite is available for communication at that time. It is therefore desirable that such unnecessary operations be eliminated and/or addressed in order to optimize battery usage.